Hollowed Apprentice
by arova
Summary: When Slade blackmailed Robin into becoming his apprentice, his friends had no idea what was actually going on... they believed he was evil- everyone except Starfire, that is. But will her faith in him lead to the destruction of the Teen Titans? -A different version of the season one finale.


**This originally started off as a oneshot, but I'm thinking I should continue it. Tell me what you guys think.**

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The darkness of the night flashed by in shadows as Robin ran through the streets of Jump City. He was a mess. His new uniform didn't feel right at all, not after what he had gotten himself into and especially not after what he had just done. Slade sickened him.

_"Yo dude! What's wrong with you?" Beast Boy yelled, his eyes wide as Robin approached with his pole in hand. At first, he didn't resist but then was forced to fight back, turning into a cheetah and then into a bear and then into a snake, he tried to chomp his fangs down on his friend's head as best he could…._

_They all fought him back, and that was the worst part._

Rounding a corner, Robin swept himself into a dark alley and tried his hardest to get away from the Titans, who would be looking for him right now. After that immense fight a short while ago, he had run away and disappeared in the midst of the towering buildings, not wanting to confront them again and certainly not wanting them to find him. Raven was injured, Cyborg's circuits were damaged, Beast Boy had a broken leg, and he had done all of it. Shutting his eyes to block out the pain, his sadness and despair was cordially welcomed through his earpiece by none other than Slade.

"You have done well, Robin," he sneered. "But you will do better."

"This isn't going to go on any longer!" Robin said firmly, his eyes flying open in anger. "Someday you will die. And mark my words; it's going to be an extremely horrible death."

"Tut tut, is that defiance I hear? You know the consequences of that, my apprentice."

Robin chose to ignore his master. But as soon as he did this, his mind wandered back to his friends. They had no idea what was going on and they would be so hurt by what he'd done… but they also had no idea that he was probably hurting even worse.

"Robin!"

His head snapped up as his heart dropped. He had been hoping, to the very core of God himself, that no matter what happened, he wouldn't get the chance to attack her. Not her. But it was inevitable as she landed a few feet in front of him, her flaming red hair looking disheveled and her green eyes having so much misery that it was hard for him to watch.

_Starfire._

He didn't say her name out loud, though. He wasn't allowed to show any emotion other than hatred, and it made him sick.

He should have realized that she would have found him. After all, she was the only one he hadn't attacked earlier. The one he couldn't bear attacking.

So instead of saying anything, he slowly put some distance between his feet and raised his hands in a general martial arts charging stance. She faltered.

"Please. Tell me what is wrong. We wish to help," she said.

"_Now, Robin!" _Slade's voice echoed in his ears. He held his ground, but contorted his face so that it looked like he despised her, that he didn't want her help, that he didn't want to scream in apology and remorse.

"Very well," she blinked heavily. "You do not want to. But you want to fight me. Robin, I… I do not like living in a world where we must fight. But if that is what you want, then do what you will."

He was surprised but didn't show it. Starfire's hands went limp by her side in surrender, waiting for him to strike. Keeping in mind exactly how Slade was taking advantage of him, he gritted his teeth and ran forward. She didn't move. She wasn't even armed with her starbolts; she was just waiting, a sitting target for him. And Robin never hurt an unarmed person, never in his life.

But this was a special case.

_"That's it, boy."_

Increasing his speed, he catapulted himself into the air and delivered a roundhouse kick straight to her jaw. Screaming, Starfire went sprawling to the ground, one hand cradling her chin. Landing gracefully on his two feet, he drew his fists into his sides and towered over her. He couldn't feel his stomach; surely, he didn't hit her that hard!

Suddenly, her shoulders started shaking with what looked like sobs. She still wasn't looking at him, and he resisted the urge to yell out the truth. She probably hated him. He had given her enough reason to.

"You… You hit me," Starfire turned to him, her bulbous eyes full of tears. The way she was lying on the damp ground looked pitiful. "I didn't think you would. Truly, Robin… I believed… but now…"

"Finish her off!" Slade screamed.

"Maybe you are not my friend anymore," getting to her feet, she kept her distance and hung her head dejectedly.

"Clock's ticking," reminded Slade, as Starfire backed away. Her hands glowed green and she got ready to fight him, but deciding against it, she drained her power and shook her head. Robin knew she was going to abandon him. Give up on him.

"No! Starfire…" he blurted as something inside him snapped. Beast Boy and Raven and Cyborg could have left him as a lost case, but not her. He wouldn't let her.

"Is it true?" she whipped around, facing him. "Did you hurt them all in cold blood?"

"You won't understand," he stuttered. It felt good to finally get it out, but he was trying to say too much too fast. "It was never supposed to be… I never wanted to!"

_"Wrong answer."_

And then his world turned around as soon as Slade said those words, and full horror hit him as Starfire jerked backwards in pain. The probes in her body were probably licking the life out of her.

"STOP IT!" Robin yelled in a panic. But Slade didn't stop. "DON'T DO THAT TO HER! Please! I'll do whatever you want, I promise!"

Suddenly, she stopped screaming and fell to the floor, barely conscious. Robin closed his eyes and sighed in relief. He knew he was more or less acting foolishly, letting Slade use him like that, but no one was dying on his watch. Not if he had something to say about it. Luckily Slade had taken him for his word and had stopped torturing Starfire.

"Star, forgive me. I'm sorry. Tell the others I'm sorry," Robin knelt down and whispered in her ear, half sure she couldn't hear him. She shivered. Turning back, he looked away and began to walk in the opposite direction. He was going back to Slade. He realized it now; they weren't abandoning him, he was abandoning them.

"_Go back and use the blaster!" _he was commanded, but he didn't listen.

"I'm coming to you, master, to await my other orders."

"Wait!" Starfire yelled. Apparently she had gotten all her strength back; maybe Tamaranians had faster healing powers. He stopped in his tracks. "Do not leave. I am afraid I do not understand… who is this 'master' you speak of? Who were you conversing with?"

He ignored her. Taking steady steps forward, Robin turned the corner and emerged out onto the road. But she wasn't one to give up. After a few seconds, he was halted as she flew from above, and land squarely in his path. She was so close that he could count the sparkles in her eyes.

"Do not leave me," she begged, and he relaxed a bit. In his earpiece, Slade was telling him to throw her out of the way, but from up so close… he couldn't do it.

"I have to go. Move out of my way."

"I will not move until I have my friend back."

"Move!" he snarled menacingly. The longer she stood there, the greater chance he'd have to hurt her. "I care for you, Star. Really. But I'm with Slade now. I chose this."

"No…" she argued. "A Titan would not _choose _this. You would not. I know it! Tell me I am wrong! I do not believe it, Robin- they might, but I do not! If you care for me, then prove it-"

In truth, the Titan leader had no idea what got over him in that moment. Maybe it was her face, so beautiful and full of hope for him, maybe it was what she said, the enormity of thought in which he wanted her, maybe it was how much she believed in him. He didn't care that Slade was watching. Fast as lightning, he cupped her cheeks in his hands and pulled her into a kiss. Feeling like he was conveying his thoughts and apprehensions and guilt in the most abstract way possible, he savored the feel of her, her hair tickling his elbows as she kissed him back, and given the circumstances, he could have asked for nothing better. Trailing her palms up his arms, she settled them in his hair and he pulled her nearer. It was by far the best thing he had ever felt in his life, just him and her and no Cyborg cat-calling in the background.

Regretfully breaking away from her lips, he withdrew and rested his forehead against hers for a few seconds. No matter how good the kiss was, it was never going to last.

"Robin…"

"You're wrong, Starfire. A Titan has chosen this and he's not going back." Looking into her eyes for a moment, he saw as she watched him in shock before he let go of her and ran back down the alley. It was too much. He didn't know whether he could stand to look at her again without losing his head.

_No one could ever take your place._

_"_Ah, young love," Slade sneered. "Pathetic."

"At least I've found love," he replied quietly. Grabbing the jags in a nearby crumbling building, he hoisted himself up and began to climb.

"Not for long, my apprentice. Not for long."

As soon as Robin climbed to the top of the advertisement building (as he discovered when the logo came looming up), he stopped and glanced back down at the road. Starfire was still standing there, staring off into the curve where he had disappeared. She was looking like a statue, her hands hovering in the air as if he had never left.

But he _had _left; that was the point.

"I've found love," he said louder, before turning around and walking away, burdened with the thought that, unlike before, she would not be coming back for him and he would not be going back for her.


End file.
